Two rockets were fired the morning of Jan. 1 from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. The rockets exploded over the Mediterranean Sea, with no injuries or material damages registered. One detonated not far off the coast of Tel Aviv; the other exploded further away at sea. Since the rockets were far from urban centers, IDF Spokesperson Unit said, "According to protocol, no sirens were sounded and no interception took place."

No Palestinian group has taken responsibility for the rocket fire. Reportedly, Hamas passed a message to Israel via Egypt, claiming the launch was a result of a malfunction triggered by a lightning storm and was not instigated by the group. Still, reports in Israel claimed the Islamic Jihad was in fact behind the launch, with Hamas tacitly agreeing to the move.

The Israeli army retaliated by targeting Hamas rocket production sites as well as Hamas military posts along the Gaza border. Repeating its usual stance, IDF said it considers Hamas Gaza rulers as responsible for any attack against Israel emanating from the Strip. The IDF retaliation prompted in its turn a rare Palestinian reaction. Unidentified Palestinian militants fired Sam-7 anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli helicopters carrying out the strikes. None of the missiles hit the helicopters.

The Israel-Hamas ceasefire brokered by Egypt after the latest violence in May is evidently fragile. The border has been relatively quiet in recent months, except for two incidents. On Sept. 12, Israeli aircraft struck a series of targets in Gaza, while Palestinian militants launched rockets into Israel. And on Dec. 29, an Israeli civilian was injured by gunfire near the Gaza border. The man, employed a Defense Ministry subcontractor, was working on the recently completed underground and above-ground security barrier separating Israel and the Strip when he was hit. Israel responded with tank fire targeting several Hamas military sites.